Rabble and rabble arm for metallurgical furnaces



L. R. KELLEY RABBLE AND RABBLE ARM FOR METALLURGICAL FURNACES Filed Nov. 11, 1924 March 10, 1925- 1,529,256

l0 203K169 15y,

Patented Mar. 10 1925,

UNITED STA ES LOUIS R. KEILBEY; F BETHLEHEM; :PENNSYILVANIA, nssiGivo-R To EETHIJEHEM FOUNDRY & MA'cHtNE COMPANY,

RABZBLE "AND senate A'Rivr F AIWGOR'PO'RATION or PENNSYLVANIA, o3 METALLURGICAL ruanecns.

To'all whom arm contam- I Be it known that I, LOUIS R. KELLEY, a citizen of 'theUnitedStates, residing at Bethlehem, in the county of Northampton 5 and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements. in Rabbles'and Rabble Arms ,for Metallurgical Furnaces, of which the following is a specification, A a Y The object of the invention is toyprovide improvements in metallurgical furnaces, and particularly in'that type in which a series of 'hearths, preferably superimposed and in concentric relation'with one'anotlier, surround a rotatable shaft'from which ;arms extend radially into the chambers between adjacent hearths and carry means known as blades or rabbles that both stir the material and propel it either towardsthe axis or towardsthe outer periphery of "each of the respective hearths. a y

Another and more specific object is to provide improvements in the construction of'the'bladeor rabble-carrying arm used in vsuch furnaces, said -*ar1n being provided with a channel through which air passes from within the rotatable hollows upporting shaft to cool the arm'and the rabbleblades carried thereby.' v a A further object is to provide an improved rabble which can be removably mounted upon said arm at willand can be readily re- ,placed when broken or mutilated, said rabble being provided with an aperture communica ting with the air channel in the arm, and adapted to lead air from saidchannel outwardly through the rabble to coolthe lat ter, and when desired to unite with ga ses arising from the material upon the hearth. 40 Still another objectis to providea modified form of rabble,fwherein instead ofeach rabble'bein'g providedwith an airaperture passing throughgit, the'side'ofthe'bodyjortion of each rabble is" soshaped as to two-opprovide an air passageway fremjjthe lchannel within the arm,- for' the specified .fpu'r'pose. a a

A modified rorm f of armymay be *m'ade with a longitudinally aektendingfftransverse partition within the I otherwise open channel, soas to provide a pair oiparallelthan-v fi'els donfieczted at 'tlie'ir -a'djicent outer end erate with the rabble ne'nt adjacentthereto passe lon itudinally the ffull length, and r ath the uppe'rmost 'wall, 1015 the am, thence "into the nether-channel, and; either "through or between-the blades or'r'abbls.

I With'these-and other-objects in view; the present ;-invention comprises ,additional, novel details of construction and operation hereinafter fully brought out in the follow- "ing description, when "read in; conjunction with the accompanying =drawings, &in which Fig.1 is a vertical 'diametrical'section of a portion'ofa furnace-in which-the invention in its severalfphasesis employed; Fig; 2 is t an enlarged, partially -i"ragmentary5 detail view of the;rabblesupporting arrn,--to- I gether with' a set of -rabbles operativelysup ported thereby; Fig, 13 is'a; section onj-the line 3 3 of Fig. .2; Fig; tisa-bottom-plan view of a fragment'of the rabble-arrmshowi'ng a pair of the rabbles carried" thereby; Fig. 5gis an end elevationofthe armandrabbles; Fig.6 is aseotion'on-the line 6 6 of "Big. :2, but showinga modified form of rabble supported 'by the arm; and-Fig. is a bottom plan :view of a portion of the arm and aplurality'ofthemodifiedform of rabbl' es carried thereby. a a

Referring to- F 'ggl of the'drawi-ngs, apertion of anrore roasting furnace-is shownl' the (same comprising an outer annular wall 1, from which extend radially" inwardly a vertical series 1 of hearths 2 of any. desired [cross section and alternate-hearths being providedywith drop-holes 3, adjacent to their vradially inner; portions, andi-nterme \diate hearths being provided, with dropholes 4 adjacent to their radiallyouter-portions'and closely adjacentato the ;i-nner surtcface iof the said outer 1.' The several 'hea'rths are provi ed: centrally i-with axially :aligned openings 5, throughiflwhich-g extends a vertical hollow shaft 6, to which the rabble orrabblecarryingarms'are secured. a

Referringto Figs. 2 to-- .5-i-nclusive, each 'armcomprise's'an elongated jshellfi .preferv U-shaped in cross-'se'ction tot-provides v bppositelywdisposedsides 8, whichgin-the 'ftype shown terminatefdownwardly -;in-;inf 'waraly directed aligned 9, gwhich i provide shoal-tiers I adapted to ,;support the ifreiii'ovable "rattles" hereinafter 'describedi-n r Theradially outer end of the shell 7 is closed at l0,while the radially inner end portion comprises a hollow tubular shank 11, separated from the major portion of the shell by means of a peripherally extending shoulder'l2, and provided'with suitable ap-' ertures 13,connecting with a longitudinally I extending channel 14', for a purpose hereinafter described.

The rabble carrying arm may be mounted upon the shaft 6 in any desired manner, but

- in-this instance is illustrated as extending .through apertures 15 in said shaft, and within said shaft being connected with one of the air supply pipes '16, which conveys air into the channel 14: and throughout'the longitudinal eXtentof the arm for cooling the same amidst the high temperature which obtains in the chambers 17, where said arms rotate betweenthe adjacent hearths.

' In the construction illustrated, eachiof the improved rabbles or rabble-blades comprises a bodyportion 18, having oppositely extending lugs 19, adapted to rest and slide upon the'shoulders of the, flanges 9, each of said 3 rabbles further comprising a depending blade 20, having diagonally disposed surfaces 21 and with janaperture 22leading from alrecess or cavity 23 in theupper surfaceof the body portion to the lower portion of the rabble, so as topermit air from within thev shell 7 of the arm to pass outwardly therefrom and cool the respective rabble-blades.

Referring to Figs, 6 and 7, the identical "arm is'shown as, that hereinbefore described,

' but each of the rabbles comprises a body 7 portion 24, havingoppositely extending lugs 25- resting upon the flanges 9, and provided with a depending blade 26, having diagonally directed surfaces 27 but instead of being provided with an air-port, such as in the form'previou sly described, the body portion of each of said rabbles is provided with a cut away or grooved surface 28 upon; either "one or: both" of its opposite sides, so that when an armis', provided with a complete set of rabbles, op'eratively positioned closely adjacent to one another, the cutaway or 'fgrooved surfaces 28 provide openings which permit air from within the hollow arm to pass toward and around the blades 26, with substantially the-same result as in the con? structionffirst described.

In the operation of this d vise, hen the shaft 6 and the arms carried thereby are rotatedQthe rabbles orarms above one hearth are arranged diagonally in one directionf while the rabble'supported'by thearms above the hearth immediately therebeneath are arranged in another direction, -that is, angu- Ylarly disposed, with" respect to. the rabbles c'arried the, armfabove, with the result 'fthat, as the'shaft rotates,the ore upon the "upper hearth will be "stirred and propel said. arm. c

radially inwardly of the hearth towards the drop-hole 3, whence upon reaching the hearthimmediately therebelo-w, the blades of the rabbles carried by the arms in that immediate chamber stir and propel the ore radially outwardly toward the drop-hole 4, and soon until the ore has passed over the several hearths throughout the entire vertical extent of the furnace,

It is also to be understood that the inven tion inits broad aspect, in addition to the two forms of rabbles herein described, in

conjunction with a singleform of, arm, likewiseanticipates the, construction of anarm inv which the body portion of the "rabbles form a side instead of a bottom wall of the air chanhel of the arm. Similarly, the arm may comprise a suitably reinforced plate or blade, and in which case? thebody portion of the rabbles would be supported'upon the laterally opposite edge portions of the plate or blade, and be angular or U-shaped so as to provide an air channel by and upon the joining of the several rabbles of asset upon thearm;

Having thus describedmy invention,j what I claim and desire to'protect byLetters Patent of the United States is i lj The combination of a rabble arm with a plurality of rabble units 'removably mounted thereon, said arm and the body portion of' said units forming, in, conjunction, a channelled shell. v 4

v 2. The combination o'f a rabble arm with a, plurality l o-f rabble units, removably mounted thereon, said arm and thebody,

portion ofsaid unitsforming, in conjunction, a channelledshell, and saidunits being so .formedcasto provide a plurality of air outlets from theinterior of such shell.-

3 The combination of a. rabble'arm with a plurality of rabble' unit s removably mounted thereon, said arm andthe body portion ofsaid units forming, in conjunct'ion', a channelled shell, and said unitsbeing provided with apertures through their heads. V j l '4. The combination of'a hollow rabble arm having a longitudinallyextending openoperate to close the opening in the wall of said :arm save for a pluralityof air outlets from the interior'fof said arm between the units. I H 1 v V I 6. Thecombination of an arm having a channel opening laterally'through one side of the arm, the side walls of the channel being oppositely directed to form supporting flanges, and a plurality of members removably supported by said arm upon said flanges and substantially closing the otherwise open side of the channel.

7 The combination of an arm having a channel opening laterally through one side of the arm, the side walls of the channel be- 10 ing oppositely directed to form supporting flanges, a plurality of members i'emovably supported by said arm upon said flanges and substantially closing the otherwise open side of the channel, and passageways formed in each of said members to permit air to pass therethrough from within said channel.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

LOUIS R. KELLEY. 

